Better Left Unsaid
by ScribblinDiaz
Summary: A year since Billy's untimely death and someone new has moved into his place. The Expendables believed all ties with Billy were gone, but when the new neighbour discovers secret files about an unfinished mission of Billy's, the team knows the only way to truly lay his spirit to rest is to finish what Billy started long ago. Question is, is the new neighbour of any use?
1. Chapter 1

With the new movie coming up I've found I have to get my excitement out somehow, and what better then to write a little something! First chapter is a shorty, but more to come- thank you for reading! :)

* * *

The boys sat around the garage unlike any other night. A beer in hand and some funny stories, their voices carried far from the open garage door. But tonight was different. Their laughs were not as bellied and the music not as enjoyable as it had been every other moment. As Hale finished his story their laughs carried off and a soft hush fell over the crew. Tonight was the eve of Billy's death, and not a thought in their minds could mend that heavy-handed fact.

Barney stood from his bike and walked solemnly away from the group to lean against the metal frame of the door. His gaze carried sky wards to the building across the back lane. The building itself was nothing but a laundry mat and above that was an old warehouse attic.

* * *

_Barney smiled at the kid. He had been with them only a month yet he was already a little brother to all of them—and somewhat of a son to Barney, "What can I do you for Billy?"_

_"Well you see, I was thinking… to be a more valued asset to the team… I should probably move closer to the shop." Billy looked down at his feet nervously, "I mean, that way I'd always be more prepared to take on jobs with you guys."_

_He glanced up from his nervous shuffling to read Barney's expression, but all he found was warmth, "See I already kinda got a place… I hope it's not a problem."_

_"Of course not! Your mom's gonna be alright though?" Barney had never asked Billy to move to the city because he knew just what a sacrifice that would be. Billy's dad had passed away a few years back, but his mother still hadn't moved passed it. Since then Billy had taken on the protector and breadwinner of the house, never leaving his mother's side until it came to the army, and now the Expendables._

_"Ya she'll be fine. I'm still gonna help her with the bills, but she understands. Its for the best—for both of us." His smile was bright and hopeful, but Barney could see a small glimmer of pain in his eyes. It was for the best though, the kid needed to grow, and although Barney knew the Expendables wasn't a great start for him, he'd do what he could to set that kid on the right track._

_"So you need help moving then? Me and boys will definitely lend a hand—"_

_"No need Barney, I didn't have much to move. I'm already settled in" He glanced sheepishly again at Barney._

_"What is it kid? Where is this place?"_

_He smiled and turned his head to glance at the windows above the laundry mat across the back lane. Ross instantly chuckled and slapped the kid on the back; "Wow we really got you in our back pocket now!"_

* * *

"How's his mother doing?" Hale piped up, while the rest watched equally as interested.

"After sending the majority of his cut to his girlfriend, and shipping what he had in that apartment to his mom, we also sent her a nice cut to help her get by… well I did anyhow."

"Barney why didn't you ask us?" Toll's temper started the flare but no one took it seriously, it was Toll Road after all.

"Yea Ross, what's the deal?"

"It was on me that he made that move, that he joined this crew. I made a promise I couldn't keep and I'll pay for that for the rest of my—" Before Barney could finish, and anyone could interject with a sarcastic comment, a light came on in the apartment across the street. Hale and Toll jumped to their feet and met Barney at the door while the rest sombrely walked up.

"I thought it was vacant?!" Hale could never keep his voice down, but this time was a special occasion.

"It was, I check the place often to make sure—" Again before Barney could finish a shadow past across the ceiling.

"Well its definitely not vacant anymore." Lee took a swig of his beer and turned on his heels and walked back into the garage, that was enough excitement for him.

"Well I'm gonna check it out." Hale took off across the back lane; the only one trying to stop him was Barney.

He grabbed him by the hand but there's no stopping Hale, "Caesar stop, you're gonna start something none of us are gonna help you finish." But he wouldn't listen, kicking the door in and beginning to yell as he galloped up the stairs.

Sending an accusatory glance at the rest of the team Barney threw his hands in the air. "Thanks, real helpful."

"What?" Yang gave him a look, "I'm off the clock."

* * *

"Hey!" Hale began with a knock at the door, but it slowly turned into a beating. He reconciled in his mind that he was probably acting on the liquor in his system but that was also the perfect reason to not care.

"Who is it?" The voice had attitude, even a temper in its tone, but that's not what stopped Hale in his assault on the wooden door. It was a woman.

"Uh.." He glanced down the stairs but of course he was alone, _thanks guys, appreciate it,_ "Its uh.. Its Hale. I live—well I mean I'm sort've your neighbor. "

It was silent for a while before he received a reply, short and curt, "Yea, and?"

"Well I just thought I'd introduce myself, as a neighbour."

* * *

She was pacing in her kitchen, chastising herself for considering even opening the door. The apartment was cheap but certainly wasn't in the greatest of areas. The lovely Chinese couple downstairs had warned her that many biker gangs frequented the area. Luckily she worked at home, and hardly had a need for leaving (especially at night) so it seemed like she could skim by unnoticed. But not even a week in and here she was getting a knock at her door at 1 in the morning.

Throwing on her robe she marched to the door, "Yea, " she dared a quick look through the peephole. On the other side was a tall, oversized black man smiling a charming but almost frighteningly nervous smile. "You introduced yourself. Ya done?"

"Well no.. not really, you don't even know my name."

"And mine either, looks like a fair deal. Goodnight."

"Look I'm sorry to bother you, I just… I sorta told my friends I was gonna come up here and see who moved in and if I leave empty handed…" She looked through the peephole again and half smiled, he genuinely looked disappointed and nervous to meet his friends after this.

With that she marched over to the back window and sure enough, across the way, were 5 guys standing around laughing and drinking. They looked rough around the edges even with the smiles on their faces. Her gaze followed the warm light into the garage where she could see a few chrome muscle bikes but nothing else from her vantage point. She was risking a lot by doing this, but she also figured she should stand her ground and earn some respect. It was too late to pretend she didn't occupy the space. Thrusting her window open, she popped her head out.

* * *

Each were taking turns putting bets on Hale. Whether he'd make it in, get his ass kicked, or get the cops called, "I bet you he's standing outside the door kicking his own ass for going up there!" Toll chuckled to himself.

"We all know he's a teddy bear, but I wouldn't want open my door at this time of night to a drunk his size, " Gunnar added.

"Hey!"

Looking up they noticed a person leaning out the window in a silk Asian robe and long dark hair casting a silhouette over their face. It caught them off guard, a woman was not at all what they expected.

"Shit" Barney uttered and motioned for Gunnar to go get Hale.

"I'm assuming you're the friends of the belligerent man at my door. " Her voice was strained and tired, no doubt she found nothing funny about this situation.

"Yea, sorry about that, no ones lived in that apartment for quite some time. We didn't stop him from going up cause—"

She cut him off, "Whatever the reason, could you please remove him before I call someone else who will?" With that she ducked inside and shut the window.

That was the third time that night Barney had been cut off, and he was feeling pretty stupid by this point. As soon as Gunnar came out the back door with Hale in tow, Barney had quick and heated words with them all. He wasn't about to lose control of his team and cause them any more embarrassment.

After finishing their drinks the team cleaned up and went their separate ways. It'd be a few days before Tool would fish for some leads; they all need a reprieve from the night of remembering Billy.

Lee was the last to leave, hanging around as Barney's second for a short heart to heart. "You know Barney, they can't help themselves. Especially tonight. We're all getting a little anxious for a job."

"Yea I get it Christmas, its coming. I have Tool putting his feelers out by the end of the week."

Zipping up his biker jacket, helmet under his arm, Lee pointed with his freehand up to the building, "What do'ya make of all this?"

"Just a tenant and a reason for us to let go a little more is'all. I honestly never expected Chao to rent out the place as it wasn't even up for grabs when Billy was asking for it." He played around with his hat in his hands; even mentioning the kids name seemed hard.

A low rumble of a laugh escaped Lee, a hand knocking on his helmet, "He was a good kid Barney, and you did right by him. I think its time you let up on yourself a little bit and see that."

He walked backwards towards his bike, "And if you want to do right by that girl, you should probably apologize tomorrow-and maybe put a couple more apologies in the jar, lord knows with this group, we'll be needing it."


	2. Chapter 2

The doorbell rang causing the light sleeper to bounce from her bed and stumble to her bedroom door. She tripped several times trying to get her slippers on and her robe at the same time all while keeping one eye open, uttering mainly to herself, "Stop. Please stop. Make it stop."

Reaching the door her eyes flitted several times and one long yawn later she was looking through the peephole. She must've bounded to the door louder then she thought because the man on the other side tipped his hat to her the moment she looked through. "Whoa." She whispered and without using her best judgment opened the door just wide enough for the chain to be pulled taut.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, uh.. sorry to wake you, the names Barney-Barney Ross."

"Great." She didn't admit it out loud but she finally recognized him vaguely as one of the men in the street the night before.

"I just wanted to come by and apologize for the behavior of my friend last night. He's a great guy, just a bit of a jokester." He smiled, but she could easily tell it was forced.

Truth be told Barney's skin was crawling. He felt like a dad making a house call to apologize for his rebellious teen son. One thing was for sure; he was too old for this.

He watched her, her green eyes starring him down. From what he could tell through the narrow width of the door opening, she was wearing the same robe as last night, her long brunette mane was messy but not unattractive in the least. She was young, but not too young to forgive and forget. Seconds passed before he realized she hadn't replied and he was awkwardly sizing her up like she was an appliance. "Look, the guys are coming by for a drink again tonight, you're welcome to join us."

"Why?"

_Boy, she gets right to the point._ "To show you we aren't so bad after all. We might seem a little rough and worst for the wears but I promise you, if you need any help you can call on Barney." _That sounded better in my head._

"Whose Barney?"

"Me. Barney Ross. I introduced myself earlier…" This was getting worse by the minute.

"Right. Sorry. I'm Brass."

His eyebrows raised slightly, perhaps this was going better then he had assumed. At this point he thought he'd never smooth things over, let alone get a name.

"Brass." He said thoughtfully to himself, "Well Brass you're welcome to come by tonight, drinks are on us."

She stood in front of the bag, hands wrapped, gloves on and music at just the right volume. Having many emotions to play off she began with a slow circuit. Her breath burst with every hit, slow and steady. As the music picked up—some good ol' Cajun rock—so did her hits. Harder, faster, she smashed into the bag as sweat began dripping from her brow.

Being out on her own, looking for a place, having little to her name, all of this played on her mind culminating to the main reason she was there in the first place. Suddenly her jab hitched and her cross-failed to land as precisely as it had been doing. Anger bubbled over as the beat of her music became over run by some ol' house of hair band bellowing from the garage below. _Of course, _she huffed, _two nights in a row of this madness, why not?_ The difference this time was she wasn't going to wait till 1 in the morning to fix the issue.

She tossed her gloves to the side and quickly wiped the sweat from her brow before shoving the window open—rather forcefully this time. "Hey! Hey Ross!"

"I'm telling you man, if I wasn't coming here tonight I totally would've made a move." Hale said, sincerity written across his face before taking a proud swig of beer. He ignored the laughter of the group who didn't seem to buy his story of his encounter with a hot senorita at the liquor mart.

"Hey! Hey Ross!"

"Did you guys hear something?" Lee asked, pausing before throwing a knife.

"I think you're losing it Christmas." Toll piped up, knocking his beer with Hale's in a small salute.

"No, I heard it too." Barney got up from his stool and walked to the edge of garage door, peering down the street. It was dark and empty, the moon reflecting off the puddles of stale water that never made it down the drain.

"Up here."

He stepped back as his gaze fell upon Brass leaning out her window again. This time without the robe and settling for a more aggressive demeanor, her hands were wrapped from boxing and hair tied back in a high ponytail. Keeping his gaze away from her chest as it fell heavily with each breath, he cleared his throat, "Brass! What are you doing, why don't you come on down?"

"I'm busy. Could you keep the noise down?"

"We're just having a little get together, we don't mean no harm." He smiled, this time a little more genuine and less forced then earlier in the day. She noticed tattoos on his arms poking up from beneath his tightly fitted black tee, she should be nervous—he certainly seemed like biker gang material—but for some reason they seemed rather harmless to her.

"Great then you won't mind obliging a girl?"

As she attempted to close the large window again, Barney chimed in while he had the chance, "You box?"

"Uh…" Brass had been a little worn out to pick up on her appearance, and only realized now that her leaning halfway out a window may have been inappropriate.

"Come on down, I'll get you a beer, and we'll talk shop."

* * *

She looked at herself in the mirror. She wore her hair simple; wavy, tousled and barely touched since her hot shower. Her make-up was also just enough to call herself presentable with dark eyeliner and a smoky touch. Honestly she could've showed up in sweatpants and an oversized sweater and none would've held it against her, but she felt the need to take this invite a little seriously.

"This is ridiculous."

What she was having the most trouble with was what to wear. She owned very little, and barely leaving the house meant she had less appearances to keep up with. Flipping between a few outfits she finally threw them onto her bed and just starred at her reflection. "Its just a beer."

She grabbed some green tight fitting pants and a loose white muscle shirt, "Whatever" Brass commented again under her breath and proceeded to head over to the garage.

Although she had met Barney earlier, she couldn't shake her nerves, she wasn't the greatest at meeting new people. Especially in this setting where it felt like they had all been waiting for her to make an appearance.

"Well hot damn, it's the belle of the ball!" Tool called out, hands rising high in the air in praise. Gunnar and Toll began whistling and calling out. Usually Hale joined in but this time he sat quietly on his stool praying she wouldn't recognize him.

"Everyone calm down, this is Brass. If you all remember a lick of last night, you'll know she's our new neighbor across the street above Chao's laundry."

She smirked sheepishly and gave a curt nod.

"Need a drink there lil' lady?" Tool asked.

Without a second thought she nodded, "Hell ya."

Gunnar laughed, "Now that's a woman."

"Its just a drink, " Brass commented without holding back, and the guys all called out in unison.

"Alright, alright," Barney attempted to calm them down, "Brass, this here is Toll."

She sized them up one at a time. Toll with his old hat and Hawaiian shirt. She also noted the cauliflower ears but from the camaraderie in the group she could guess it probably would've been a soft spot for him and didn't linger too long with her gaze.

"Next up is Yang."

"Pleased to meet you." His accent was thick and his frame small. Although his tone seemed careless he also seemed like the most friendly and least likely to toss comments her way.

"That's Hale, but you probably remember him"

"How could I forget? He's making the same scared expression he had outside my door last night." Everyone glanced towards Hale, who tried his best to change his posture and raised his eyebrows as high as he could but all it did was make him look even more scared. "Ya, that expression exactly."

Before the group could get out of control Barney moved onto the next member, "Gunnar."

"Hey." He cast her a sideways glance from a quick sip of his beer. His eyes looked hungry, his hair wet with sweat and his body hunched ever so slightly. You could almost call him a modern day Viking.

"Watch out for that one." Toll added.

Gunnar's eyes changed to a more playful expression, "I don't bite."

_Noted. _Brass thought to herself, the list getting longer and longer. "And next up is Lee."

Now it was her turn to take a cold long drink. He wasn't anyone she had noticed in the alley the night before, and if she had she might've re thought her outfit, or even her showing up. He smirked and nodded in her direction but she didn't seem to have his attention. He looked well dressed in a European way, a thick woolen sweater and dark pants. His five o'clock shadow was definitely more of a statement then carelessness. A statement she mentally approved of. Her mouth opened slightly as if to make a comment, but instead she thought against it and drank some more.

"And last, but not least, Tool."

"Hey there, I run this little tattoo shop out of this garage, so if your needing a little ink feel free to hit up ol' uncle Tool." He tipped his old worn cowboy hat in her direction, the gleam of his silver and white teeth shining in the dull garage light.

"So…you all live here or something?"

"Oh hell no, we'd never survive the week!" Toll slapped Yang on the shoulder, but Yang's expressionless, humorless face never changed.

"Nah we just get together from time to time. I live here, in the building beside where I run a shop fixing up cars. Tool runs this side as a tattoo shop. " Barney leaned away from her slowly, back stepping towards the group.

It was suddenly apparent that she was on her own, and fair game.

"So… 'Brass', what do you do?" Lee questioned what was playing on everyone's mind. She didn't like his tone, almost accusatory.

"I'm a freelancer, I work from home." She learned over the years that fewer details worked better with the general public.

"And what brought you to this side of the tracks?" She glanced at Yang; she didn't expect him to ask anything.

The conversation went on from there. Most questioning her choice of the rough biker side of town, but she didn't have to give them much of an answer. It seemed they all lived a little mysteriously and weren't much for prying answers out of others.

She had little conversations with each, slowly becoming more in tune with their personalities. Hale apologized greatly for his blunder and she happily accepted, he seemed to sweet to hold that over his head. For one of the biggest men there she found it hard to believe he could hurt a fly, never mind her.

By the end of the night Hale had moved passed his nervous demeanor around her and had become incredibly comfortable by her presence…or perhaps had a little to much to drink again. Hoisting the girl over his shoulder he called out like Tarzan while Brass beat against his back jokingly for him to let her down.

After all the fun and games the guys began to settle down, Yang leaving to get some sleep and Tool heading upstairs with some girl who stopped by. Brass wasn't overly surprised and didn't bother asking if it was a normal occurrence. Only in the calm from all the horsing around did she realize she had yet to speak to Lee since their first introduction. Not once did he approach her, and she was fairly certain she hadn't even seen him in the last hour.

Suddenly her hand was grabbed and she gasped in shock as she jerked it out of the persons grip. She had been so lost in looking around the room for Lee that she failed to notice the Viking strutting up behind her. "What's with your knuckles?"

"What?" Her bewilderment ended when she noticed the small cuts, "Oh, I was hitting to close to the bag today—bad habit."

"You box?"

"Ya, no fights, haven't been in one place long enough to compete honestly. But it's definitely a hobby of mine."

Gunnar nodded in Barney's direction, "Did you show her the ring?"

"Yea Barney! No one else is using it!" Hale chimed in.

"The ring?" Brass asked, her voice light, trying not to push it with him. He had been very nice to her this evening but she couldn't shake the sensation that he was the leader of this rough little group and didn't want to push his buttons. She was only a quest after all.

"Oh come on, don't bother with that." A gravely deep British lilt entered the conversation from a corner of the room.

"Why not Lee? We were gonna sell it all anyway, might as well make some use out of it."

"Cause the girl wouldn't want to be bothered with some dusty old antique of a room. Or have you all forgotten the state you left it in?" His glare was hard and unrelenting on the group before finally meeting her eyes. She held her breath, he was beautiful but she was starting to get irritated with his attitude.

"Girl?" She broke the silence by creating a whole new kind of awkward. Lee locked eyes with her and for some reason, he couldn't quite grasp why, but her presence irritated him. More then irritated actually, it was practically under his skin. It wasn't about her looks, she was exactly his type—more so then his last girlfriend. He furrowed his brow as he began to compare the two in his mind. Her tight green pants hid nothing of the fact that she enjoyed boxing, if anything it accentuated it. Her muscle shirt hung, denying them all a chance to see the curve of her waist but hung low enough to show a glimpse or two of her black bra from just the right angle. _Lace never had that kind of confidence, at least not around me._ Suddenly he grew solemn. He shouldn't be dragging up the past, last night was enough and certainly more important then a breakup—a mutual one at that.

"Well I think it's a bit late for that anyway." Barney said uncomfortably, tossing a glare over his shoulder at Lee before facing back to Brass with a warm albeit fake smile. "Why don't you come by tomorrow and I'll show our old training room. We use the machines from time to time, but rarely do we touch the old ring I have set up or the heavy bags."

"Thanks Barney, It was great meeting all of you!" She smiled brightly and the dark expression she had worn in their presence the night before, and that morning with Barney, was dissipating from memory. Until of course her eyes met with Lee again only this time he didn't hold her gaze.

She walked to the bar and grabbed her stuff; a couple of the guys approached her to ask her about boxing, disregarding her attempts to leave.

"Christmas. You told me yourself to go over there and apologize." Barney strutted over, his voice a harsh whisper.

"I didn't say bring the girl back here, now you're complicating things."

"No Lee, you are. Walk her home, apologize, and get off your high horse. I don't know why you're in a mood but fix it." That's all it took from the strong leader and Lee was on his feet approaching Brass with a slow jog as she waved her final goodbyes and walked towards the garage door.

When she turned back she nearly walked into him, her face instantly blushing, "What do you want?"

"How nice." Lee smiled arrogantly.

"I get that a lot." She quipped.

"I don't."

"Big surprise. Well 'Lee', it was nice meeting you, regardless if the feeling is mutual for you or not." She shot back, using the same accusatory tone he had used when addressing her earlier.

He grabbed her softly by the arm before she got completely out of range, "I'll walk you home."

"I'm literally across the street, I can manage." Her green eyes stared him down, unwavering.

"Then how am I supposed to make up for my poor behavior tonight?"

"Fine. If you think you can do that in the next 30 seconds between now and my front door, be my guest."

Lee's smile broadened this time and he let out a rasp chuckle, "I'll see you tomorrow Brass, bring your gloves." His expression was mischievous, and his voice husky. He was close, closer then she had noticed.

"You're on."


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was shining through her dusty windowsill, waking Brass up way before her alarm. The warmth and god like rays that washed over her skin filled her with an amazing hopefulness. She was anticipating a wonderful day boxing at Barney's gym, and nothing was going to wipe that grin off her face, not even the underlying nerves of dealing with Lee again.

Lee.

"What an asshole." She mumbled as she stepped into the shower. 5 minutes later she stepped out, her mind not even the slightest bit clearer, "such an asshole." She continued out loud.

She swiped the steam from the mirror and shoved her toothbrush into her mouth, her attitude slowly souring as she focused more and more on the British bloke. "Wherduzhegetuffanyway" She mumbled as toothpaste foamed out over her lips.

Moments later she was getting dressed in casual boxing wear, not wanting to gear up completely if the place turned out to be underwhelming. She adorned short nike tight black shorts and a yellow muscle shirt. Her handwraps her black and stuffed into her gym bag along with her bag gloves and sneakers.

Now the waiting game.

_Is it too early to go now? He did show up at my place pretty early yesterday… _ She walked to her door awkwardly, turning around several times as she reconsidered her timing before finally settling on marching over there and playing it cool. As she stepped out the back door into the street she heard the metallic sound of power tools working on an old America muscle car. Barney was definitely awake and working.

Before being noticed by either Tool or Barney, Brass took her own little look around. Much of the garage had been dark and unlit the night of the get together, but now seeing it in the light of day she could make out a 'man-cave' vibe even more. Old Harley jackets were framed and hung against the corrugated metal frames. A colorful dartboard was hung up with many indents and holes cut in it, clearly not being used for darts.

She set her bag down on the bar and walked behind the counter to the wall where small pictures of the group from over the years were taped up. They're smiles were always bright, no matter the time that passed between photos. Some faces she didn't recognize possibly of people long since gone from the group. She noticed one of the men, in some desert, adorned in camo with guns slung over their shoulders or held in their hands. These weren't just some 'friends', this was a team and in the middle was a young face, even a little younger then herself.

"Afghanistan."

Brass jumped out of her skin, knocking over a few shot glasses in the process. "Sorry, sorry! My bad, I u-uh.."

Barney's face was thoughtful, hard and dark but she couldn't see a trace of anger. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages before the silence was broken.

"Look whose ready to rumble!" Hale called out as he entered the back of the garage, Gunnar and Lee in toe. "Have you seen it yet?"

"Uh.." She looked back to Barney but he was already looking away and smiling at the guys, as if the moment never happened, so she decided to carry on the same way, "I have not."

"Well let's go then!"

The door was difficult to open, scraping long and hard against the cement floor while kicking up months of dust into the air. Beyond it lay a dark room only lit by the sun filtering through old dust covered windows. Everything had an aged look and smell, of a place long since forgotten. Someone went for the light switch but nothing turned on, burnt out from lack of use. "Hmm.. That'll need to get fixed."

Although dark and dank Brass felt nothing but awe and excitement. The walls had old boxing photos of the greats, as well as some more team shots. "Well…it certainly needs a little TLC, but nothing a little elbow grease can't fix!" Brass tried her best to contain her excitement, but she was sure her voice betrayed her.

Barney began throwing around orders like it was a regular mission, "Mops in the corner, boys get a bucket it's time to get to work."

"Call me when it's ready," Lee muttered, dodging the gripes from his buddies as he waltzed back out of the room.

A couple hours later and the place looked a couple years younger. Everything still had some good wear and tear to the edges but that just gave it more character. Brass sunk to the floor breathing heavily, "I think I already finished my work out."

The boys laughed breathlessly, agreeing silently. The room was humid and her skin moist with a thin layer of sweat before the real hard work had even begun.

"So what's first Brass?" Gunnar asked.

Brass hesitated, glancing around the room at all it had to offer, "I think I'll just 'warm up' with some bag work."

"Or you could fight me."

Lee had returned, dressed and ready to fight. The men called out in awe at his statement, while Hale added, "That's a challenge Brass, you gonna take it?"

"Sure, I mean, why not, its not like we didn't do all the hard work for Nancy boy to just stroll in." Again the group lit up in 'oo's and awe's at her attitude, all the while Brass raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously, clearly pushing him back.

"Now that's a real challenge." Hale pointed out.

"Barney, get the bell ready—shit's about to go down!" Gunnar howled, in pure Viking fashion as he galloped out of the room.

A few minutes later Lee crawled between the ropes of the ring, dressed in a black muscle shirt and some loose grey sweats. Up until this point he'd always been modestly clothed and left Brass to her own thoughts and assumptions, but now that she could see most of him for what he was there was no denying it. _He's cut_, she thought, attempting to keep her composure.

"Ready?" Gunnar asked. Both fighters raised their gloves to their faces in a prepared fighting stance, a silent acquiescence. Eagerly seconds began to feel like minutes as the anticipation for the bell slowly became too much to handle.

Suddenly Hale called out from the corner and both fighters recoiled like a gun firing, "We need some tunes, otherwise what's the point?"

Hale's strong voice pulled Brass right out of focus, reminding her to ease her muscles and stance, this was just a friendly match. After another little huff of breath escaped her glanced back at her opponent ready for battle, but faltered only slightly when their eyes connected a little too perfectly, _how long has he been watching me?_

Moments later some good ol' 80's house of hair music was playing in the background, Hale was strutting his stuff finding it impossible to remain still, and Brass and Lee were back to facing off in anticipation of the bell.

Hale leaned against the ropes, a serious look on his face (probably the first she had seen), "You're gonna wanna hang back Brass, gauge his abilities, and keep a strong defense."

"Thanks Caesar but I think I got this."

Then just like that the buzzer went and both fighters lunged.

Brass had already decided her chances were slim if she were to go head on. He had more muscle, was taller and therefore his reach was much further. She had to be spry, get low and come in fast and get out even faster. He threw the first blow, overconfidently, and she had to admit, slightly showing off. Easily she sidestepped, dropped to a lunge, and came in with a quick upper cut just below the solar plexus.

He coughed slightly and stepped away, his look was one of confusion. Brass could almost swear there was even a bit of respect in his gaze as he settled back into his stance. If she were going to keep a cool head she would have to ignore the commotion from around the ring. Tool and Barney had joined the small group of spectators. Having them watch made her feel like she had something to prove. _Don't let them get into your head._

Brass faked a lunge and sure enough he went for it, coming in with a cross and leaving his whole side open. Thinking she had the perfect chance she lunged for real this time and came in with a hook to his ribs. Right before landing it however she felt Lee's arms grab around her back until his hands connected at her stomach. This was certainly not boxing. She struggled for a while, pulling back and forth, trying to shove off him and escape his grasp.

She could hear him chuckling, in his raspy quiet way, and it was beginning to feel embarrassing. Taking a deep breath she stopped fighting it and settled her body and mind. From the sides of the ring she could hear Hale and Gunnar calling out to her to fight, Tool was making fun of Lee for doing a clearly illegal move and she heard nothing from Barney. She twisted around slightly in his grasp, giving herself just enough space too look up from under her arms and lock eyes with Barney. He gave her a short nod, a silent affirmation that she could do this. Before thinking too hard on why he would think that of her, she dropped her weight. The moment her knees bent and her center of gravity plummeted a few inches she could feel Lee begin to lose balance. She had to act fast before he could regain his equilibrium; she removed her gloved hands from shoving against his stomach and sunk her weight into him now, really throwing him off. Then she grabbed the back of his knee and pulled in-tossing him onto his ass. However, she wasn't done. She jumped forward, mounting him and began sending a flurry of punches towards his face, none of them hitting physically, but definitely hitting him mentally. His pride was slightly bruised as she began laughing, celebrating her victory before the match was even called.

The crew were hooting and hollering, fists flying high into the air, "Thatta' girl!"

"You think you won?" He huffed.

She was too busy cheering in the air and laughing at Hale and his victory dance that she had almost completely forgotten she was sitting on him. His words cut through the loud cheering, and her eyes met with his. Surprisingly, he was smiling.

"What's so funny?"

"I think I'm the one who won, if you ask me." He winked. For a split second she was appalled but to hear levity in his voice for a change, the fact that he was joking with her alone was too refreshing to pass up.

"Ass." She muttered shoving her gloves into his chest and pushing off of him, winding him ever so slightly.

"Round 2?" He coughed.

"Sure, " she turned back towards him as he sat up and leaned back on his hands, "but for the record…"

Brass had a sultry look to her all of a sudden. He watched, unabashedly, the sweat dripping down her neck, her messy hair coiling around her face and shoulders, the way she licked her lips and her piercing green eyes shot straight through him, "if you done seem real work and helped us clean up the place, you might've had a better chance of beating me. " And with that she playfully shoved him onto his back again.

"Round 2, round 2, round 2!" They chanted around the room.

"This time no illegal moves Lee," Brass added.

"Why not? Clearly you know what you're doing."

Her eyes flashed to Barney and then back to Lee. "Just shut up and box."

By the end he had beat her a couple times, and at one point she had beat him by points but she certainly didn't feel like she earned it. It was tough, but she sensed after their first match that he was finally going full strength on her. She didn't mind losing if it truly meant he was the better fighter, it gave her a personal challenge, something to work on. By the end the camaraderie between the two of them was comfortable, and he even began giving her pointers. His tone was always respectful, sometimes playful, but he never verbally doubted her abilities or strength. She dared to admit to herself that she might actually be enjoying his company. _You know...past the whole gorgeous aspect of course._

They cleaned up their stuff and the group hustled out leaving just the two of them behind.

"Great session." His tone was clipped and rigid, the way it had been the first night she met him.

She wanted to ask why the sudden change but the words caught in her throat so instead she studied his body language. He was tense, almost uncomfortable, never turning towards her.

"Yea. You too." With that she walked quickly past him never looking back. How their proximity and sudden aloneness could change the friendship they had (literally) worked so hard to build that day, was beyond her. _You're just here to train. Hale likes you, Gunnar, Yang, Tool… maybe even Barney too. You can't win them all Brass. _

A few days later Barney was back to working on his truck. Very few people had come into the shop in the last couple days, and although he enjoyed the work it was nice to focus on his own baby. Silently his thoughts were muddled, and like true Ross fashion he hadn't mentioned it to anyone.

Brass had been there a couple hours a day just training and sometimes just to shoot the shit with the boys. Everyone seemed in better spirits with her around, they were forgetting the darkness in their true natures for a small fraction of the day.

He wondered if he should regret inviting Brass over, even letting her train. The boys were falling for her in their own ways; as a sister, a friend, even a relationship counselor at times. He couldn't blame them either, she was likeable, especially out of her shell now that she was comfortable around them. Rarely did they have a woman around, but it was for good reason. Someone always fell too hard, too far, and with the kind of work they did, no question-it was a bad idea.

Sure they had all had their little relationships outside of the game before, but rarely did the rest of the crew ever meet these significant others. Bring them too close to the crew and the questions started to fly, "What do you do for a living, really? How long will you be gone?" Then, when stress became to much, when the relationship was past the point of being strained, came the hardest statement to bare, "This is too much for me, I'm tired of worrying if this will be the day you don't make it home."

He sighed heavily, he knew it, they all could see it, Lee was acting way to bizarre around the girl. Clearly he was well on the road to being too far gone. Lee was typically the charismatic one, the one who always fell a little too hard, always thinking that relationships should be easy, that they should just work. With Lace he had believed he could pop in and out of her life and she would never mind it, that they could pick it up right where it had left off a month prior. That _that_ was _love._

"I know that look." Tool piped up, scaring the day lights out of Barney. Throwing the wrench across the room in anger Barney barked, "God damn it Tool."

"Whoa, chill, no anger here my brother." Tool casually leaned against the tool bench. "Mind telling me what you got going on in that mind of yours?"

"Not now Tool, I like keeping it in my head, its quiet there without anyone asking questions and demanding answers."

"Sure. For now. But sooner or later you gotta lean on someone, who better then your brother?"

"Look I'm a little worried about this situation."

"With Lee and Brass?" Barney was flabbergasted, but he had to be honest with himself, it wasn't actually that difficult to for others to see either.

"Sooner or later you gotta let your angels go Charlie, especially Christmas. He's a good man, and he's sacrificed a lot for this group. Everyone deserves a little happiness."

Barney didn't like the look he was getting from the old artist and ex-mercenary, "What?"

"You need to stop focusing on them, they'll make their own judgments, opinions, choices, and fuck up doing it too—you need to start worrying about yourself Barney. You're included in that little happiness everyone deserves."

Barney smiled half heartedly, "Come on, don't go getting all soft on me Tool, you're really pushing the boundaries of this relationship."

"You want some tough love, the real shit?" Tool asked with open arms, "It's only been a week, a little more then that. You're taking this shit to seriously man. Its just a woman, she's great, the guys like her, they're having a good time around her. But trust, when its time for the job, they'll be there and ready to commit."

"The job?"

"Ya you heard right," Tool winked, a proud smile on his face, "I got you a good one, short and sweet, should only take 2 weeks and has a nice pay load. I'll get the file." Tool turned just in time to see Brass step into the garage, "Well hey sugar, back for more? You aren't played out yet?"

"Hah, very funny. I actually just wanted to talk to Barney for a minute… but you should probably stay too."

Tool and Barney shared a look of worry, "What is it Brass?"

"Well… I found something… in my apartment. I have to admit-I looked through it. I had to, I mean, what else was I supposed to do?" She looked down at her feet, her hands behind her back clearly withholding something.

"Brass." Barney stepped in front of her, his frame towering over her as well as his stare.

"Right." She looked up into his eyes, fear depleting, "I think you should have it, it's from the tenant before me, your friend."

She handed over an old bulging folder barely being held together by string. "Chao said he's only ever had one tenant before me, and that man was named Billy."

Immediately Barney marched towards his bench and whipped the folder open, ripping the string from its cover. Inside were documents upon documents stamped with classified pictures of different men, all looking like hardened criminals. One man stood out, with more then a dozen photos of him in different settings and dirty dealings. Clearly the king pin of whatever group Billy had been closing in on. _But why? What was he chasing, and why was it so important to keep it from all of them?_


	4. Chapter 4

Decided to pull some chapters and rework them, fitting chapter 4 and 5 together and changing some of the events. For some of you who might've read ahead, don't worry, not too much will be changed. For anyone new, well... thank you for reading :)

* * *

Barney walked through the upper rooms of the shop, weaving through the hallways of training rooms, equipment rooms, even small back rooms furnished with little kitchenettes, bathrooms and bedrooms like a mini motel. It had been home to many of the team over the years through hard times and Barney had always left his door open to them.

In the weapons room the rest of the crew stood solemnly around a huge metal workbench. They all carried the look of a man waiting for the worst possible news, and Ross couldn't help but feel it too. They believed their fallen comrade to be avenged, and although they all hurt deep down for his death they had at least felt a semblance of justice has been achieved. Perhaps not.

"Listen up." Ross growled, unable to control the anger raging deep inside. "We have Intel that Billy was on to something, working a personal vendetta against a man known as the 'Reptile.' Seems he's been behind a lot of arms dealing that have led to some pretty catastrophic events. As of the last few years he started to change his game, finding new ways to make even more money—according to this." He threw the bulging folder onto the table, its edges so worn that its contents spewed out across the metal top.

One thing could be seen easily however, Jean Vilain.

"Vilain?" Toll piped up, while the rest stayed silent, saving their comments to themselves for now.

"Apparently." Ross shifted his weight, his hands holding onto his belt, his arms flexed with control as he fought to consider what to say next. "The Reptile began working with Vilain, not only was he selling to both sides of a war, but he was stealing behind their backs. Gaining more and more of their trust and finding out just what resources their land was sitting on, and then reaping the benefits. He was behind the plutonium gig. I can't figure out when it all started, or just how much he's been involved in, but one things for sure, you'll find his name in many of the missions we've been on."

Surprise filtered through the team, landing at Christmas, "What does this have to do with Billy, really?"

"Seems his team wasn't just caught in the kill zone, they were ambushed. The hadjis were never supposed to have that kind of artillery, not at the little village they were watching. Seems the Reptile had a stake in just how much oil he could make in his involvement, on both sides of the fence. It ended in an all out blood bath, but another one that never hit the news because the blame was on both sides. They're crew was expendable, and they picked them off one by one."

"Well who is he, in all of these pictures?"

Barney shrugged, wiping the sweat from his brow, "We don't know, we got no face, no real name just an alias. We do know that he's Russian, but deals frequently all over Europe."

"Where did you get all this Barney?"

_A loaded question, _Barney closed his eyes, "Brass."

Instantly the once quiet room erupted into questions.

"Would everybody calm the _fuck _down?" his deep voice rumbled as he leaned his weight onto his hands, hunched over with the burden all of this new information. "She was unpacking, moving things around, found it in a wall apparently."

"A wall? Really? We gonna believe that?" Toll accused, always the first to jump to conclusions.

"Yes, we are. She showed me the wall, said she was hanging a picture frame and the nail popped right through the wall. She found the seam of the wall and opened up a small crawl space where the documents all were. These buildings are old, it's not uncommon."

"Did she read it?" Christmas questioned.

"She admitted to reading through it, even searching what she could online. She's been very forthcoming with what she's discovered, but as far as civilians go she doesn't know much beyond Google and the news."

They all nodded, agreeing to let it go for now. "What's the next step?"

"Nothing."

Again the crew was in an uproar. Various comments and profanity were thrown around the room before Barney barked and they all settled down as best as a room full of oversized angry men could. "Nothing…_yet_. We got a gig in a few days. It was supposed to be sooner, but in light of this new information we negotiated an extension. Luckily this mission isn't time sensitive. What is good about it is it takes place in Bulgaria. While we're there we'll dig for more information on this Reptile character, and what happened a year ago."

* * *

Brass sat at her computer attempting to plug away at work but she couldn't concentrate. Since giving Barney that folder she was told not to come around for a while, he'd let her know when she could come back and train as soon as possible but it had been almost 48 hours since she'd heard from any of them. The huge metal doors had remained shut, and unless they entered in at night, she had seen no one coming or going. Whatever she had given them was big and meant a lot to them.

Her cell lit up and she grumbled at the thought of it being her boss. She didn't want to have to report about the work she had done, or lack there of. Grabbing it she failed miserably to hide the disdain in her voice, not very professional of her, "Hello?"

"Well hello there, you sound very happy to hear from me." Came a thick and deep British reply.

Her heart jumped at the sound, but her fist hit her desk in annoyance with her childish reaction, "Sorry, I thought it was someone else. How did you get this number?"

"Let's not dwell on specifics. Are you free tonight?"

Now she had a lump in her throat, was this really happening to her? Never in a million years did something this good work out in her favor. Usually the charming man went for a friend, or was already taken, and was only being polite.

He was more then a pretty face and muscular body. He walked with grace, an ease and assurance to his step. The way he smiled only when it was needed, and laughed that deep murmuring chuckle, or when she was even lucky enough to hear him laugh from every fiber in his body.

The way he reacted when presented with a challenge, a grin on his face and a feverish look in his eyes. Be it throwing darts at the board or boxing with her and the others in the gym, he had always come alive in these moments.

He'd treat her well, make jokes, and give her pointers on her techniques. When training with her he'd linger by her side, stand a little to close, whisper with his raspy deep lilt in her ear. He looked at her with appreciation, respect and sometimes-even lust from what she could tell—at least when he thought she wouldn't notice.

But the moment they were alone and he had only her to deal with it would all change. _You're right, too good to be true_, "Yea, why?"

"Always cutting right to the chase. I like that." A brief chuckle resonated through her from the receiver.

With a small gulp she waited patiently, but it didn't take long for him to add, "Rosko's 8 o'clock."

* * *

After an hour of fighting with her wardrobe she settled on a dark maroon maxi dress, drawing out her deep bronze skin. The u-shaped neck showed just enough cleavage as her gold dainty necklace fell just enough down her collarbone to accentuate it even more. The dress had a slit up on either side accentuated the wideness of her hips, and thick muscular legs. Most would've told her not to wear it as it would draw attention to her curves, but she rather enjoyed that aspect of it—she was never shy about her muscular and curvy frame. Her hair was tousled, wavy and full of 'I woke up like this' not to be confused with the reality of it which was 'this took me an hour, and I still hate it'.

She gave one last longing look out her back window at the garage across the back lane only to be surprised at finding the door open, lights on, music drifting quietly from its depths and a few shadows. Her heart caught in her throat, a feeling of rejection washing over her. Immediately she brushed it off, she had barely walked into their lives and she was already upset at a lack of invitation one night. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she decided it would be harmless to reach out to Barney tomorrow.

Deciding to give the men space she walked down to the laundry mat from the front entrance of her apartment. Chao was reading a newspaper at the front desk but immediately put it down and stared agape at her over the rim of his glasses, "Wow miss, you look beautiful! Date?"

Brass couldn't help but smile, "I think so."

She felt ridiculous smiling, but it had been so long since she last dated, _would it be so wrong to enjoy it a little?_

She waved goodbye and headed out the front to wave down a taxi, the jitters setting into her gut. _Stay strong, its just dinner, its just dinner, its just…_

The aroma of Italy and pasta was in the air, and the place was bustling with conversation and laughter. Over the sounds of chitchat was the sweet sound of Italian music. She bit her lip at the daunting task of finding him in such a busy place but it didn't take long.

Next to the bar stood Lee, leaning against it in a crisp black t-shirt and grey faded jeans that sat just right. He was leaning on his arms, back to her; giving her the greatest display of tricep cuts and back muscles pressing through the cotton of his tee. She found herself biting her lip again, this time for a different reason. With a sigh she murmured to herself, "God damn you Lee."

As if he heard her, he glanced over his shoulder and her breath caught in her throat. _Am I seriously nervous right now?_ His glance was fleeting though, and he nodded towards a table to the right of them.

It stung. He barely looked her up and down, and not a glimmer of 'wow' to be seen across his eyes. She had left her apartment feeling pretty confident and beautiful and now she found herself feeling naked and vulnerable.

She licked her lips and quickly fixed her hair while he wasn't looking before gliding into the booth across from him, "So, how are you?"

"We need to talk" was all he said, his eyes were serious, even had a hint of pity in them.

"What?" Brass was dumbfounded and though, _did I miss something?_

Before he could go on the waiter showed up with some wine, which she gratefully took but Lee waved it away for a beer instead. "Look the boys want to know how much you know."

"So… that's why you brought me here?" Her face fell, and any composure she was holding tightly inside had unwound.

"What other reason would there be?"

Her shoulders fell in defeat, but only for a moment before she raised her head in defiance, her chest filling with pride and her shoulders were back and firm.

He looked at her confusedly, "Brass, you got something you'd like to say?"

"Go on."

He didn't seem convinced, but heeded her tone none the less, "Look what you found was highly classified, we just want to know how much you know, how much digging around you did on that computer of yours."

"None. If its classified how much could a little graphic designer like me find?" Her tongue cut sharp, her lips frothing with verbal venom in every tone, yet hidden behind a sultry and confident smile.

"We need to know if we can trust you,"

"Are you going to share more information with me?"

His brow furrowed, "Of course not."

"Then what does trust have to do with any of this?"

"Fine." His words began to bite back, "I also brought you here to tell you that we'll be gone for a while, a week maybe longer, so don't bother poking around the garage looking for us, or nosing about. Tool will be keeping an eye on the place for Barney and we don't take kind to people in our business."

"The crew, or you?" Her arms were crossed now.

"Look if there's something you need to say, the floor is all yours." He leaned back, staring her down.

"Alright, I have something to say." This time she leaned forward, her eyes burning with a fire he'd only seen from her once before-when they boxed, "Next time you want to chat about useless things, give me a call, leave me a message, let me know how useless its all going to be."

Now she was rising to her feet, both hands propped on the table and as she leaned forward even more, her face drawing closer to his and she smiled even bigger, her eyes playful and her tone quiet but commanding. "You don't tell a woman that you want to meet her and pick a nice restaurant. What you don't do is lead a woman on. What you don't do is act all suave, handsome, and charming one minute and then a complete dick the next."

The tables around them were starting to turn around, glaring daggers at Lee. She whipped her wine glass off the table and downed it instantly before slamming it back down.

"Wait you thought this was a date?" He chuckled and raised to his feet, leaning forward on his arms now and getting closer to her, the embarrassment clear in his body language, "Apologies miss, I didn't take you for the type that bothered with boyfriends or love."

"Boyfriend? Hah. I don't need a boyfriend Lee. I need a champion." With that she turned on her heels, yanking the bottle of wine out of the ice bucket and nodding towards the waiter, "I'm taking this, don't worry, my 'champion' has the bill."

* * *

With a head start she had managed to make it all the way home without a single appearance of the rude Brit and his loud motorcycle, but to her dismay she wasn't fast enough to beat Chao. The laundry mat was closed, forcing her to walk all the way around, and undoubtedly pass the garage. With her luck they'd all be sitting around just in time to see her waltz pass with a mostly polished off wine bottle and revealing enough outfit to let them jump to conclusions. Unless Lee had already told them…

_Then would they be laughing at me as well?_

She admitted to herself that at this point she'd had a little too much of the wine. She knew walking around to the front of the garage and entering was wrong. She knew slipping into the gym was also just as bad, but her will to pound a bag and imagine it was someone's face was out of her control, even if a small piece of her mind was telling her not to.

Brass glanced around the corner and noticed how the music was still going, the door of the garage was open, but Tool had fallen asleep in his chair on the far side of the room. Everyone else had gone, and she was sure Tool would never hear her and so she crept a few feet towards the gym door.

Barney was in the weapons room, setting up a few last minute things before they left mid day tomorrow. The plan had been sorted, and the men were all ready mentally and physically for the task.

The job itself was simple, escort a high ranking officials daughter from point A to point B. Truth be told they would never typically do a job like this. It was a case of a semi powerful, incredibly rich man worried about his priceless daughter getting in the hands of money hungry men—which more so meant some semi powerful, incredibly rich man thinking everyone wanted what he had meanwhile they never did. It would be a smooth ride, and if it weren't for the hefty payload he was willing to pay they would still be sipping beers in the bike room.

That … and of course the location.

They were escorting her in caravan formation through Bulgaria, the location of their first and unforgettable meeting with Vilain. The day he killed Billy.

With that memory Barney snapped his gun into place, primed and ready for use on whatever henchmen he could find while they were there, or the Reptile if they prayed for a miracle.

Just as he placed the gun into the large canvas bag a soft sound caught his attention, _someone was in the building_. With a snarl and murmur of insolence on Tools part Barney took off down the stairs gun in hand.

Brass had started off small, some quick jabs while she tore the situation apart in her head, or out loud in a quiet murmur to herself. By the time she got to the meat and potatoes of the evening she was throwing her right in with a force that could only be driven by anger.

Suddenly the gym door groaned and creaked as it swung with full force into the wall. She jumped from the bag and turned her fight stance towards the door, ready to take on whatever opponent came her way. But in the doorway stood Barney, gun pointed and ready.

"Holy shit Ross, its me, Brass!" She thrust her gloves into the air as surrender.

"Holy shit me? Holy shit you, what are you doing in here this late?"

"I don't want to talk about it" and with that she went back to hitting the bag, completely disregarding the gun in his hands.

Before Barney could reply the realization of what she was wearing hit him. She looked all dolled up, beautiful dress, tousled hair, long earrings and chain. She was a sight for sore eyes, until you took in the bag gloves, boxing, and 3 quarters empty wine bottle sitting at the edge of the ring.

"Are you drunk?"

"No!" She gave him a look that could kill before delivering her last right, straight through the bag sending it flying back a foot.

"Sure looks like it to me." He couldn't help but smirk, she'd never lost control since the moment they had met and even now that her apprehensions were mostly out of the window she was still in control of the situation.

She caught the bag as it swung back, "I'll admit, I've had a lot to drink but do you seriously think I could have that kind of form while I'm drunk…" She trailed off as she tossed her bag gloves to the side. Her face was grim while thoughts danced across her eyes.

"I think you should go home Brass, get some rest. And if you really want some advice, don't beat up yourself, or this bag, over whatever idiot has got you all bent out of shape. Because clearly he didn't see what I'm seeing."

"And what's that?"

"One helluva a woman."

Brass smiled genuinely, wiping some sweat from her brow with a hand towel. "Thanks Barney."

She had barely made it past him when she spun around on her heel, head held high and shoulders strong, "You leave tomorrow?"

He nodded without a remark in return. It was silent while she waited for more but she knew Barney was a man of few words, "I may not completely understand what you all do for a living but… be careful."

Again he replied with only a short nod and a smile. Brass only got a few more feet before she spun around again, "Oh but Barney? If you don't come back in one piece…can I still use the gym?"

With that he burst into a strong laugh, the sound reverberating nicely off the walls, enough to break Tool from his slumber.

* * *

He'd hung back at the restaurant to pay for the bill and smooth things over with Rosko. As a typical Italian man, he hadn't appreciated his friend mistreating his female guest, regardless of having not seen what actually happened. It took a lot of smooth talking before Lee could leave. He made it a few blocks before hearing his cell go off. Much as he would've liked to ignore it, he couldn't risk not answering it as it could be Barney with intel on the mission, but the thought of it being Brass made his insides turn.

He took a deep breath before answering, not daring to look at the call display. He had to admit however, his reluctance to hear from Brass was not for what she may have to say, but for the guilt he was feeling. Lee was normally good with women, having dated a fair number in his time. He had always been open with his feelings, and despite his job had no problem committing what he could of his life to a long-term relationship.

Yet for some reason he was constantly screwing up around Brass. He wasn't even sure if he liked the idea that tonight could have been a date or not, he hadn't allowed himself to think about her in that way let alone look at her in that way. That was no excuse for his actions but… _I hate apologizing._

"Yea?" He said gruffly, in an attempt to hide any shame he may be feeling.

"Hey Christmas." It was Barney.

Lee sighed in relief, "Everything okay?"

"Well… for tomorrow – yea everything is good. For tonight, mm not so much."

"What happened?" Lee stood off his bike and placed it in park, a hand grazing over his scalp in anticipation.

"Well you see, I had the pleasure of seeing Brass tonight, boxing with an almost empty bottle of wine. Now as troubling as it is, I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that she looked smokin' hot and yet was upset because some jackass was being well – a jackass." Lee sighed again, _damn Italians._

"Yea I know Ross, I fucked up."

"Ya damn right you did, now fix it before we leave tomorrow – last thing I need is drama." His tone, although stern, wasn't overly upset and had actually made Lee smile to himself, _well…shit, boxing? Really Brass?_

* * *

The result of a bottle of wine and a hard boxing session: a tired Brass easing her frustrations by watch none other than... scary movies.

The movie was hitting its climax, and the jump scares were at full bore. Brass found herself whimpering softly into a pillow more often than not. Suddenly the door to her apartment, only a few feet away, let out a creak. She stared at it, frozen in her place, _it only ever does that if someone is coming up the stairs._

Shooting a glance at the clock on the player below the TV she realized it was too late for visitors. Her timing was perfect, but not in her favor, for at that moment she looked at the clock the antagonist of the film, a pale-faced longhaired demonic spirit of a woman, came in full view on screen with a horrifying sound. Without her pillow in place to shield it she let out an uncontrollable scream.

In a matter of seconds her door burst open sending her over the edge, literally, she crawled backwards over the arm of the couch till she fell flat on her back. When she landed a groan escaped her lips like a hiss and she scrambled up instantly and jumped for the kubaton that sat connected to her keys on the coffee table. Within in a moment she had armed herself and risen to her feet poised and ready to find…

Lee.

He was out of breath, distraught and also completely caught off guard by her appearance.

"What. The. _FUCK."_ Brass enunciated every word with as much surprise as there was anger.

"Are you okay? I heard screams." His voice was louder then its typical rasp, his accent growing thicker by the octave.

"I was watching a bloody movie you heathen!" she reached down and plucked up a pillow, sending it flying right at him, "What the hell are you doing here, and what the hell is your problem?"

"I heard a scream, what the hell do you expect me to do?"

They both stopped yelling at each other, breathing heavily from the adrenalin pumping through their veins. After a moment of silence their anger dissipated and a slow nervous laugh took its place. Lee turned around and examined the fairly broken door. It needed a new handle, and a couple dead bolt locks, but it wouldn't take long, for now he had more important matters, "I came to apologize." He stated, barely over a whisper.

"For the door? What good timing. Has anyone ever told you you're a tank?" The sarcasm was thick, but there was an ounce of awe and respect in her revelation.

"No, well yes, I apologize for that too. I'll fix it in the morning I promise. But I came to apologize for earlier." His gaze was low, showing his inexperience with apologies. While he waited for a response he stepped closer and closer towards her till he was staring down at her and her big green eyes stared back intensely.

She sighed and uncrossed her arms to rest on her hips and the disapproval in her voice dissipated, "I can't agree with your intimidation tactic of bursting through my door demanding to be forgiven but… I suppose I can hear you out."

The room was pregnant with uncomfortable silence, "Well?" She asked, finally averting her gaze from him, her arms crossing in unease.

"Look, I'm normally much better at this whole…thing. I'm not normally this insensitive, crude or difficult."

"Is that so?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes…" He looked at her hard hoping she would take this seriously. "This matter with Billy is important to me, important to all of us."

At that she softened, her guard sleeping ever so slightly, "I know."

"You do?" He asked genuinely.

"Yes. I mean… I don't really understand what's going on, but I can tell by your attitude earlier, my boxing 'membership' being cancelled, hell even just the grilling I got from Tool and Barney. I may not understand the details, but I wasn't born yesterday Christmas. Everyone has secrets, I'm not demanding to know them, I just want to be treated fairly."

"You're right." Lee finally gave in, "I was being a jackass."

"Finally, you're making sense." She teased, a smile finally creeping across her full lips. "I accept your apology Lee. Friends?"

"Friends." He agreed.


End file.
